Part IV Conclusion // Leaves of Truth: 1. DP is an early picking, quite clean 1 leaf and a bud. Hairy buds :). The tea has a distinct greeness and a good dose of floral, with a silver needle direction. Some residue astringency does exist, but goes away quickly. Lovely yellow that I happily recommend. 2. AM - as I brewed this like Don suggested in his last video for yellows, and not according to the gongfu timings on the pack, this might be slightly biased. The tea leaves are obviously a bit more mature, larger leaves. Often 2 leaves and a bud. That‘s April vs. March pickings for you (DP is March). Brewed faster, it might be a good yellow - but I wouldn‘t do the 120 second thing like Don mentioned in his yellow tea video - the bitterness is not something you want in a yellow. It‘s very close to a green tea... and nothing like nr. 3. Aunty‘s HSHY - this one is really nice. My aunt lived a long time in Anhui and has inlaws and friends there. This was a HSHY she gave me in November - and it has been excellent from day 1. When I first opened it, I thought it was an aged white tea from the color, but found out that it was a yellow (little sticker label). It is all silvery and brown-dark green hairy buds and tastes wonderful. This is a very fine and tender picking with very mild, sweet flavors. Thank god she gave me so much! No bitterness at all... That‘s all, my dears! Hope you enjoyed it as much as my husband and I did. We had no idea that yellows could be so vastly different! If you want some, go to teadrunk or Meileaf @teadrunk @mei_leaf #yellowtea#huoshanhuangya#junshanyinzhen#meileaf#chinesetea#gongfucha#teamasterclass#gongfuguru#gongfutea#glassgaiwan#tea#teastagram#instatea#teatasting#teareview#teasession#teahead#teaaddict#teadrunk#teaforme#threewaytasting#horizontaltasting#teainmyveins#yestoyellow#teaextravaganza#chadao#teaculture#looseleaftea

Yellow tea makes up less than 0.5% of all teas produced in China, making it one of the rarest and most unknown teas, even within China. After sun-drying and kill-green process, yellow tea is slightly „fermented“ in a wet warm environment to mellow. Very few tea masters still know how to do this, and as production quantities decline to make room for green teas, the value of yellow tea increases. The preciousness of the raw materials makes learning an expensive gamble for tea processing. Young and inexperienced apprentices risk ruining a batch. This delicious tea deserves to become better known - to ensure its survival in the tea plantations and repertoires of tea masters for the coming generations. Keep drinking the good stuff (available at @mei_leaf or @teadrunk if you didn‘t get it from your aunt like me 😉. Both also have youtube videos on yellow tea, thank you for the knowledge!) #yellowtea#glassgaiwan#teatime#tea#gongfucha#chinesetea#teaculture#morningtea#huoshanhuangya#tea#gaiwan#sippingtea#leaftea#looseleaftea#brewingtea#teaprocessing#makingtea#meileaf#teadrunk#teanerd#yestoyellow

The gaiwan is the most common tool for brewing tea used by actual tea farmers in China. This piece of tea ware is simply a bowl with a saucer and a lid. Gaiwan actually means lidded bowl, and what this tea ware offers in simplicity it also offers in aesthetic. The lid is representative of the sky, the base of the earth, while the bowl is representative of life, the life of plants, animals, humanity. This symbolic representation of our corporeal experience enhances the appreciation and pleasure of the tea brewing experience.
Tea leaves are brewed directly in the gaiwan. When the tea is brewed for the desired time, the liquor is meant to be poured into a fair cup, gong dao bei, pitcher, or cup for further pouring and drinking.
#Tea#teasnewjersey#greentea#newjersey#gaiwan#glassgaiwan#liddedbowl#teabrew#looseleaf

My goodies and gifts received at last night’s @crimsonlotustea session hosted by @phoenixteashop. I purchased a Lu Yu tea pet and the gorgeous silver-lined cup there. The photo doesn’t do the cup justice: it looks like a pastel rainbow sunrise. Then @oolongowl brought along the @bana_tea_company Da Hong Pao mini bricks I had ordered. And then she gifted me a glass gaiwan and three aged white tea samples! Thank you, Owl! 🦉💕